The Laughter in the Shadows
by SonofaGollum
Summary: Following the events from 'The Dark Knight', The Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum.


It was quiet again. Too quiet. There was always a noise; someone walking down the halls, the hum of the generators. He got up slowly. and walked towards the door. It was usually locked tight bt the three locks powered by the generator. He ripped out of the straightjacket and he turned the handle slowly and the door swung open. He peeped down the hall. It was empty. He walked down the hall tracing the number of steps he had taken before. He stopped outside the main office door and looked inside. Also empty. He smiled and continued walking towards the bathroom. 12 steps, right turn. 14 steps left turn. 11 steps, right turn. 6 steps, bathroom. He opened the door and stepped inside. He looked into the mirror. He had grown a lot of hair over the past eight years. He had taped a razor under the sink six years ago in case this would happen. He parted the greenish brown hair on his head to reveal His hairy face with two bald spots at the corners of his mouth. He smiled for the first time in years. The Joker was alone in Arkham Asylum.

He took the razor and began to shave his face carefully. Over the years he had learned to take better care of himself. The gaurds were few but tough. After his reign in Gotham the inmates at Arkham moved out and he was moved in with maximum security. Harvey Dent was dead and considered a hero while batman was thought to be the villian. It put a smile on his face. But Arkham's gaurd's don't dissapear for no reason. He felt more unsure and catious as every second passed. He started to cut his hair carefully. The mossy green was nearly gone but he had a special case for that hidden in the main office with his other belongings. He stepped into the hallway and walked down the halls and towards the main office. He looked through the drawers and found files after files. Useless information on other prisoners moved to Blackgate. His suit was hanging in the back all torn from the fight with the S.W.A.T team years ago.

He found some of his remaining knives and found his case hidden underneath a desk in the corner. He grabbed it and headed back towards the bathroom. He stepped inside and opened the small case on the stand next to the sink. He grabbed a blank black bottle and shook it up. He walked over and turned the water to the shower on and wet his hair. He grabbed the bottle, opened the cap, and squirted the contents onto his scalp. He scrubbed the smelly green ooze in thoughrouly and washed it again. The ooze was a combination of different dyes and soaps which changed hair color. He grabbed a towel of the dirty rack and dried his head. He looked into the mirror as he threw the towel on the floor. He grabbed a comb from the case and combed his hair back. He looked like he did twelve years ago when he first started out. He pushed the memory away and walked out of the bathroom and back towards the main office.

He walked in went into the back closet and found some spare clothes that the staff kept if anything happened to cause need for new clothes. He got out of the orange jumpsuit and put on some jeans, a blue/green checkered shirt, and dark blue jacket. He put on some old boots that barely fit him. He walked out of the office and headed towards the stairwell. He slowly walked up three flights and opened the door to the roof. He stepped out and let the cool air hit him in face. He walked towards the edge overlooking part of Gotham. He could hear chanting and cheering towards the courthouse. He walked bck towards the door and when back down the stairs in a hurry. He stopped at the door at the main floor and peered out the window on the door.

There was a teenager standing in the darkened hallway with a flashlight. He looked scared, like he was lost but looking for something or someone. He opened the door and shut it quietly behind him as the kid took no notice of any noise.

"Hello." he said quietly.

"Who's there? Who are you?" The frightened kid asked.

"First tell me who you are and why you're here." The Joker said clearly.

"I'm Thomas. My father works here and he sent me to make sure that someone was here." The kid said flashing the light around trying to find the source of the voice.

"We'll I'm here. You found me. So now what?" The Joker asked.

"I don't know. Who are you?" He asked.

"Tell me, Thomas... Do you want to know how I got these scars?" The Joker asked as he stepped into the sunlight, coming face to face with Thomas.

The Joker laughed wildly as Thomas screamed and fell backwards. He got up quickly and ran out of the building. He laughed for what seemed like minutes. He finally walked out of the building and onto the streets. He looked down and saw a newspaper with the headline 'Batman is Back!'. He began to gigle as he walked down the streets. He found some food in abandoned resturaunts and slowly made his way around the city to learn some info what had happened over the last couple of months.

After a few days he had learned that a masked man named 'Bane' had taken over the city and had a bomb. He wasn't going to risk sitting around for the end of this one he had to get out of town and fast. He ran into a few theives here and there, but they just ended up being easy kill. He knew a quick and quiet way out of Gotham that very few knew of. He headed down a quiet dark alley. It was nearly noon and he had plenty of time. He suddenly noticed a woman curled up in a darkened doorway. She was curled up and crying. He tried not to think much of it, but he couldn't move away from her. She had blonde hair and was wearing a black low cut shirt with a red skirt, long boots, and a red and black checkered jacket. After a few moments she looked up at him.

"What do you want? Here to steal more?" She asked.

"No, I'm just passing though." He said.

"Well then don't stare at me like that!" She said. "Nice face by the way!"

He took one of the knives out of his pocket and pushed the blade out.

"Jeez! I was just joking! What you can't take a joke?" She asked as she stood up. "Hmm, Mr. Joker?"

"Don't laugh at my scars, sweetie" He said.

"Sorry, Mr. J. I like scars anyway." She said. "I've got a few of my own."

"I'll bet." He answered, feeling a litttle annoyed.

"So where are you going?" She asked.

"Out of town." He answered.

"Well, I don't have any reason to stay here. So do you mind if I go with you?" She asked.

"Not really." He said, warming up to this new girl.

"Thanks! What's your name by the way?" She asked as they both started walking down the street.

"Jack. Jack White." He answered.

"I'm Harley." She said as she hugged his arm.

He felt a little annoyed by this. But it had been years since a woman had touched him without cringing at the scars. He liked this girl either way and he couldn't but turn to her and ask "Do you want to know how I got these scars?".


End file.
